In this day and age, security is of the utmost importance. Corporations and businesses have long used laminated ID cards as a quick and easy way of identifying a person, as well as a person's clearance for their premises. A quick look at an ID card suspended from a person's neck, pocket, or lapel assures that he/she has been cleared, and that he/she has permission to remain on the premises.
In the past, ID cards have frequently been strung from utilitarian lanyards made of cheap materials such as ball or beaded chain, and cotton or nylon material. A hook or badge clip is then slipped onto the loop of the lanyard and the entire contraption is then suspended from a person's neck. Lanyards and such are frequently used as a casual way of carrying not only ID tags, but also small, easily suspended items such as dorm room keys. Alternatively, a badge clip may also be independently used to suspend an ID card from a piece of clothing such as a pocket or a lapel, and this approach is favored in many corporations and agencies.
Fine jewelry in the form of a necklace or bracelet has previously been designed to fulfill functional, rather than decorative needs. U.S. Pat. No. 1,567,021 to Detlefsen et. al. shows a combined necklace and game apparatus, in which a decorative, lightweight box used for games and scoring is suspended from a beaded necklace. U.S. Pat. No. 4,891,956 to MacDonald shows an indicia device with a removable insert which may be suspended as a pendant or a charm. U.S. Pat. No. 2,613,466 to Bowder shows an identification assembly unit in which an insignia identifying the user/wearer is mounted on a chain, said insignia being made of metal, and capable of having the letters of the insignia rearranged in different combinations.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,409 to Hettinger shows a personal emergency information and medication holder in the form of a locket suspended as a pendant or a pocket watch, and equipped with a scannable code which may be used by emergency medical personnel in a time of crisis. U.S. Pat. No. 2,779,523 to Klimkiewicz shows a multipurpose costume accessory in which a chain has its end portions adapted to be transformed into loops, one of which is worn around the wrist in the form of a bracelet, the second of which hangs free in a kind of noose, and which may be attached to the carrying handle of, for example, a small handbag.
None of these previous patents, however, provides means for dual usage. The transformative aspect of the Convertible ID Tag and Necklace (utilitarian by day, stylish by night) make it uniquely capable of filling the gap which exists between fine jewelry and the hardware necessarily donned by employees in order to adequately display their ID cards.